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Note: This post discusses episodes of House of Cards. While I've tried to keep it spoiler-free, you may want to skip it if you haven't finished the season yet.

Last night I finished watching all 13 episodes of Netflix's talked-about political thriller, House of Cards. While I may not have been completely on board at first, by the end I was a devoted fan, wondering how long I'd have to wait for Season 2.

First, my doubts: Like many of you, I didn't think Netflix's plan of releasing the entire season at once made much sense. How would we discuss the show? How would we avoid spoilers? And hey, what's the harm in posting one hour every week, just like TV?

These concerns disappeared once I realized just how much I loved watching House of Cards on my time, not a predetermined schedule. (No one does that with network TV anymore, anyway.) I watched roughly one episode per night, and I think the ability to do that helped maintain my enthusiasm for the show. As for spoilers, viewers have been relatively well-behaved on Twitter and elsewhere.

And the show itself? I thought the first couple eps were OK, but they didn't reel me in instantly. House of Cards is a slow burn, and at first the stakes don't seem very high. I'm so used to watching crazy-intense series like The Walking Dead, Homeland and True Blood — shows where everything is LIFE OR DEATH! — that it can be hard to feel as seduced by, say, an education bill.

My view changed at the end of the fourth episode. I won't spoil it, but the action takes a turn, and it's clear these characters are far more devious and unpredictable than they once seemed.

To summarize the plot, House of Cards follows Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a congressman from South Carolina who is upset after being passed over for the secretary of State job. His wife, Claire (Robin Wright), helps him get ahead but has her own ambitions. With the help of a young and feisty reporter (Kate Mara), Frank lets his thirst for revenge, greed and power consume him.

The more I watched, the more I felt rewarded, whether it was by the beautifully shot scenes or the first-rate acting from Spacey and Wright.

Some aspects of House of Cards sound odd in concept, but they work, particularly Frank's tendency to break the "fourth wall" and speak directly into the camera. Also, every character on this show has a dark side. Interestingly, though, the more they screw up, the more attractive and oddly endearing they become. (Mad Men's Don Draper and Breaking Bad's Walter White are other notable antiheroes, but they're usually balanced out by more hopeful and well-behaved characters. Not here.)

House of Cards is as good or better than what we'd see on HBO or AMC; in fact, I think its $100 million price tag makes it even more pleasurable to watch. For years critics have wondered whether TV networks still matter, and this show represents a moment when it appears they don't. If nothing else, the show serves as a call — to the major networks, anyway — that they need to step up their game. I only have so much time to watch a show, and given the choice between Cards and a stupid detective series on CBS, I'm picking the former.

All of the plot twists and surprises on House of Cards beg to be discussed. (Honestly, I think Netflix could own this space if it launched discussion threads, but perhaps that's on the horizon.) Once you've finished all 13 episodes, feel free to read and leave all the delicious, spoiler-y comments you want on this post.

If you don't have Netflix, note that the site has posted the series premiere for free and is offering a one-month free trial for new members.